


Paradise

by rpslover



Category: American Idol RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-17
Updated: 2012-11-17
Packaged: 2017-11-18 21:14:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/565376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rpslover/pseuds/rpslover
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I've been thinking about getting a piece of paradise.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Paradise

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted in installments on my tumblr at http://rpslover.tumblr.com/myfanfic

Phillip and Colton both liked to sneak up on people. It was always good for a laugh; to scare someone, or make funny faces in their pictures. But this moment was different. Phillip wasn’t startled by Colton’s hand on his shoulder. The boy was quiet but Phillip heard him come into the room. The smell of citrus was pleasant as Colton rounded the big arm chair Phillip was sitting in. Colton squeezed his shoulder and Phillip’s breath caught in a way he found all too familiar.

He knew why the goofy boy with skinny legs made him forget things, things he shouldn’t forget, and that scared him. Colton perched on the arm of the chair, looking too much like an exotic bird and smelling like an orange hanging on a tree in some tropical paradise.

Phillip watched closely as Colton avoided his eyes and fell backward into his lap. The lanky boy didn’t give Phillip much time to remember breathing. It made him feel lightheaded and his stomach twisting felt like excitement. 

He had a split second decision to make. If he pushed Colton off his lap now, then they could both laugh about it and move on, no awkwardness. But the citrus smell that clung to Colton had another layer to it, Southern Comfort. Phillip knew the smell and instead of pushing Colton off his lap he slouched further, sinking into the chair, bringing his knees up on the other side of Colton’s slender frame. The boy’s side pressed into Phillips stomach but he kept his blonde head down. Phillip followed Colton’s line of sight down to his hands, long slender fingers twisted together in a nervous tangle.

“You’ve been drinking?” Phillip couldn’t keep the teasing smile off his face. Colton’s eyes finally met his, slightly embarrassed.

“Yeah, Elise gave me some of her ‘All American Punch’. It was tasty”. Colton looked back down at his hands. Phillip could tell that Colton had worked himself up to this and hadn’t been expecting to come up short on courage.

“You should get off my lap.” Phillip said in a serious tone as he schooled his expression into something blank just in time to see Colton’s hurt eyes meet his, searching for something.

Phillip couldn’t stop the smile from breaking once Colton realized what he meant.

“I mean unless you want another stiff drink.” Phillip’s eyebrows waggled suggestively of their own accord and Colton lost it. He laughed until no sound was left. Then, after regaining his composure, regarded Phillip with a curious expression Phillip couldn’t read.

“I want this Phil, no games, don’t mess with my head.” Colton’s eyes were dark and it brought that squeezing sensation back to Philips stomach. He pressed himself more firmly up against Colton and ran his fingers through the boy’s smooth blonde hair.

“I’ve been thinking about getting a piece of paradise.” Phillip smiled. Colton grinned as he climbed out of Phillip’s lap and locked the door.

 

~*~

Colton was nowhere to be found and it was driving Phillip crazy.  He’d searched the entire mansion and couldn’t find Colton anywhere. Everyone else was poolside enjoying one of the few sunny days this ‘spring’ season had produced. Colton had slithered away earlier claiming he was still fine tuning his second song for the upcoming recording session.

Phillip knew he made Colton uncomfortable and wasn’t sure if messing around with him had been a good idea. But Colton had been so sure of himself, and what he wanted, that Phillip didn’t want to call it messing around. He wanted it to be something more, something indescribable. It was killing him that Colton was avoiding him, that the minute he’d sat down next to the boy outside and complimented him on his swim trunks that Colton had begged off without even looking at him.

He could still taste the sweet orange of their kisses, still feel the burn in his stomach when those long legs wrapped around him. They’d only gotten to third base but it was sweet as sin and something Phillip thought they’d be doing a lot more often.

Phillip’s mind had been clouded by Colton Dixon ever since. His hips, his eyes, everything about Colton became a new fascination for Phillip. In fact his second song this week was artist choice and he’d chosen a song he hoped would get everything across. Getting the words out of his head in a simple conversation had never been easy. He preferred his guitar and a pen, especially for the important stuff. Stuff like he wanted to tell Colton. Except that the lanky, bird creature of his dreams had flown the coop.

He’d thought about the judge’s comments a lot and he knew exactly what he needed. He needed something fairly modern that still had that singer/songwriter vibe and it needed to serve double duty as his ‘Colton’ song. He needed Colton to understand how hard things had been for him here in LA, especially after he’d lost his roommate. He’d depended on that camaraderie in this city where everything seemed so superficial. He didn’t think he’d have that again in this competition and he honestly didn’t know how much more of himself he could have given to this cause. Until a tipsy boy fell into his lap and stopped his damned brain from over thinking things for a little while.

Phillip had chosen the song for a lot of reasons but mostly because he wasn’t scared to tell Colton he needed and anchor. Not that the idea of something more than messing around didn’t scare the shit out of him, but at this point he was so exhausted that he didn’t have a choice. He couldn’t fight himself about it.

He needed to find Colton and tell him what song he was singing. He thought about making it a surprise but didn’t like the idea of Colton messing up because he dropped some bombshell on him performance day. A funny thought considering according to Jimmy, Colton was his biggest competition. The idea made Phillip laugh. He’d give it to the boy in a second considering he’d more than gotten what he came out here for.

Phillip just wanted to talk to Colton, even if it ended up a stuttering mess. There was just one problem. He had to find him first. 

~*~

When Phillip finally found Colton he was disappointed to see that Hollie had gotten to him first. They were sprawled out on the couch before dinner watching a movie.  Dinner was ready right after the movie and everyone was having fun, even Colton joined in after being such a downer this morning. Phillip couldn’t bring himself to focus enough to joke with everyone so he ate his dinner and contemplated trying to change his songs this late in the week. He didn’t think it was possible. They had recordings tomorrow but Phillip wasn’t sure if he felt the same way about the songs that he did a few days ago after his run in with Colton in the lounge.  He was angry that Colton had avoided him all day and he didn’t know where to put his anger so that it wasn’t right on his sleeve. He needed to man up and commit to this crazy idea about professing his feelings on stage, but he needed Colton to talk to him in order to figure out what those feelings were. He needed to man up and corner the skinny recluse before he pulled another vanishing act.

Phillip was in the middle of his self-pep talk when Colton excused himself and dodged further movie watching in place of going to bed early. Phillip knew the look on his face was dumbfounded but Colton didn’t even look at him. His skin itched to get up and tackle Colton before he even got to the stairs but that might invite some curious looks. Instead he sat there staring at his empty plate. Joshua and Hollie were going to watch another movie while Jessica, Skylar and Elise were going to play a weird card game. If he didn’t leave now he was going to get sucked into one of these activities against his will.

Phillip knew this was his chance to talk to Colton. But what if Colton didn’t want to talk to him, what if he laughed and thought it was funny that Phillip was freaking out. Maybe he misinterpreted Colton that day in the lounge. Well not the tongue in his mouth part, but the other stuff. The words and the hinting that it would be more, maybe he misinterpreted that part. Phillip had really thought they were on the same wavelength, wanting the same things, that’s why he’d chosen the songs he had.

His chair felt more uncomfortable by the second. He’d watched those long legs disappear up the stairs and now he felt like he was running out of time. His stomach knotted a familiar feeling these days. The table felt rough under his fingertips and he couldn’t stop his leg from jumping up and down. They were already getting the cards out and Hollie was rambling on about some amazing British actor. He had to go now.

His hope for a graceful quiet exit was quickly brought to an end. He stood up to quickly and his chair toppled over behind him, he tried to step away from it and ended up tripping on one of the sturdy, brown legs. He barley caught himself on the modernist dining table and managed to stay upright.

He blushed and stammered.

“I think I’m just going to go to bed ya’ll.”

His statement was met with a chorus of laughs and “good ideas”. He grabbed his phone and his shoe which had somehow gotten away during the thing with the chair. He fixed the chair and table and hurried upstairs trying to avoid hearing any further snickering. He knew it was good natured this just hadn’t been his day. 

~*~

Once inside his room Phillip took a deep breath. It was a big empty space now that his roommate was gone. He wasn’t sure if seeing him at the top 10 photo shoot had helped or reminded him how much he missed him. They’d had a fun day of hanging out then when it was over all he could think about was losing another friend this week, and the week after that.

Phillip threw his phone on his bed and grabbed a pair of flannel pajama pants. He changed quickly and sat on the end of the bed. He took a quick physical assessment and was glad he felt okay.  He just felt so drained from all this thinking, thinking about his song choices, about Colton’s song choices, sex, eliminations, Colton’s body, Jimmy’s feedback, wardrobe and everything else. It was too much but he still couldn’t force himself into bed.

Instead, Phillip found himself in the hallway again standing in front of Colton’s door feeling somewhat pathetic. He studied the wood grain for a few moments before leaning his head against the cold door. The cooling sensation on his overheated skin felt amazing. He wasn’t prepared for the door not being shut fully however and he almost tumbled into the room as the door swung open.

It took a moment to regain his composure. There was no going back now; he was in Colton’s room. He was finally alone with Colton. Phillip had to resist the urge to put his body between Colton and the door, he settled for shifting his weight slightly. It also occurred to him as Colton peeked over the top of his cell phone that Phillip had forgotten to put on a shirt.  Colton’s face was glowing with the light from the cell phone and he looked like an angular, fallen angel.  He was pale and sinful and Phillip wanted to forget everything and climb into the boy’s bed.

“I’m sorry about this morning.” Colton finished typing something into his phone and then sat in on the nightstand. The room was pitch-black but Phillip still felt like Colton could see him; it was unnerving and exciting at the same time.

“Turn the light on freak; you’re right by the switch.” Colton laughed and it made Phillip smile.

“No way, I got ya now.” Phillip crawled into the bed nuzzling his face into Colton’s neck. It was warm and smelled like sweat and made him forget his craziness.

Colton stroked the back of his head and gently dragged his fingertips through Phillip’s hair. It made Phillip feel childish about his attitude and state of mind all day.

“I was crazy today thinking about you.” Phillip admitted it with a frown, burying his head deeper into Colton’s neck and shoulder. The words were slightly muffled but Colton’s chuckle let Phillip know that he’d heard his confession.

“That’s cute because I was crazy all day thinking about you.” Colton pulled Phillip’s face up and pressed their lips together. Phillip let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding and then turned up the heat on their kiss. He teased Colton’s lips with his tongue until, with a breathy laugh; Colton opened his mouth and let Phillip take control of the kiss. It was heady and exciting just like it had been in the lounge.  Any questions Phillip had about Colton, his intentions or their budding relationship went out the window. Colton pressed his hand against Phillip’s bare chest and Phillip started to forget things. Worries and troubles from the last few months disappeared when Colton touched him. He planted his knees on either side of Colton’s slender hips and pulled the boy against him roughly. Phillip smiled into their kiss as he pulled Colton’s tee shirt over his head. He pushed the blankets aside and pressed back down into Colton’s chest; the feeling of their skin touching made Phillip groan.

“How long do you think we have?” Phillip leaned back slightly and couldn’t help but smile as Colton’s mouth followed his trying to recapture its companion.

“I dunno, kiss me.” Colton pulled Phillips head back down and took his turn probing Phillips mouth with his tongue. He was slow and teasing about it and it drove Phillip crazy.

Phillip let his eyes drift close as Colton’s hand trailed down over his stomach. Long, nimble fingers slipped under the waistband of his pajama pants. The fingertips teased lower and lower setting Phillip’s skin on fire. He wanted to flip Colton over and fuck him but he had a feeling from their brief past experience that Colton needed more control than that. So instead he rolled to the side and shifted his weight and used Colton’s surprise to maneuver him on top. Colton laughed and settled down on Phillips thighs.

“You just want to stare at my tits.” Colton accused and Phillip also had to laugh.

“Na, just looking at your pretty eyes is all.”

“Whatever! Did you lock the door?” Colton swung his head around to examine the lock but it was too dark to see.

“I don’t think so.” Phillip attempted to get Colton’s attention again by trailing his hands down Colton’s stomach. Unlike Phillip, Colton was only wearing a tight pair of boxer briefs to bed. Phillip could see the effect he was having on Colton even in the dim light. Colton pushed Phillips hands off gently and climbed out of the bed. Phillip was about to protest when he decided to watch instead. Colton’s legs went on forever, it was a well-known fact that they led straight to heaven. Phillip smiled to himself; he knew Colton would call him a ‘perv’ if he told him what he was thinking.

Colton locked the door and turned the light on. They both squinted at each other while their eyes adjusted then Colton made his way back to the side of the bed. He crossed his arms over his stomach and bit his lip. Phillip died a little, he was sure of it.

“Stop it. You’re biting my lip.”

“It’s not your lip. Stop being dumb.” Colton covered Phillip’s eyes with his hand and straddled his hips.

“You’re being dumb and possession is nine-tenths of the law or something.” Phillip leaned up and captured Colton’s bottom lip between his teeth. He rolled his tongue back into Colton’s mouth and rolled his hips up against him. He could feel Colton’s self-conscious doubt start to ebb. Phillip knew a firecracker was in there and all he had to do was light it.

Phillip let his hands wander down Colton’s body, trailing from his biceps to his wrists down his ribs and over his stomach. He wrapped his arms around Colton’s slender frame and pulled him down firmly against the length of his body. He hooked his finger under the waistband of Colton’s underwear and slipped them down. Colton shimmed out of them and pulled off Phillips pajama pants. When Phillip pulled Colton down against him again there was nothing in between them. No lights, cameras, no silly questions or even any clothes. It was just the two of them capturing a moment together that they weren’t meant to have. They were both hard and aching against each other.

“Do you want me?” Colton’s voice was steady but small. He looked into Phillip’s eyes and Phillip knew it wasn’t a question but an offer. One he doubted had been given to many men.

“Have you…before?” Phillip felt Colton tense and he’d never wanted to un-ask a question more. He stroked Colton’s side to calm him.

“A few times…at church camp. It hurts, but I like it.” The last part of Colton’s sentence was almost lost in Phillips chest as Colton pressed him embarrassed face against him. But Phillip heard him. He couldn’t keep the grin off his face. Colton raised his eyes to meet Phillips and tried not to get defensive “Have you done it before?”

“Yeah. Boys and girls. I like sex.” Phillip grinned when Colton finally smiled. Phillip saw the worry drain from his eyes and sent a thank you to the higher powers for putting this boy in front of him. “Don’t worry baby, ain’t no condemnation here.” He flipped them over again bringing Colton’s legs up around his waist.

“I’ve got condoms and lube, in the bedside table.” Colton grinned and leaned over to grab them. He handed them to Phillip and laid back, reaching down between their legs to help Phillip adjust and get the condom on.

“It’s a little tight but it’ll do, just don’t get buck wild on me.” Phillip teased and warmed up some of the lube between his index and his thumb. They way Colton’s hips jutted up off the bed when Phillip pushed his finger inside of him made Phillip crazy. That’s all this boy knew how to make him. Just. Crazy. When he pushed a second finger in alongside the first and Colton made this little broken noise Phillip knew he was on the right track. He took his time, this wasn’t his first rodeo and he knew that preparation was important, especially with a less experienced bottom. Although his, less experienced, bottom was getting very impatient very quickly. He laughed and scissored his fingers, twisting them, driving Colton Crazy.

“Phil…please. Now.” Colton was an writhing mix of helpless and determined. He pulled Phillip up for a long, deep kiss then reached down and positioned Phillip himself. Phillip let him push up and take what he wanted. He lifted his hips and wrapped his legs around Phillip using them to pull the older man inside of him.

Phillip groaned and gripped the sheets. He thrust forward and had to put his hand between Colton’s head and the wall. He breathed out sorry against Colton’s neck and rocked more gently against him.

Phillip felt the scope of his thoughts start to narrow until all that was left was this room and this boy and this thing he knew that they had. A connection. He’d found this here in this maelstrom of all places and he wasn’t going to let it go. He didn’t have to tell Colton his song choice anymore. It made sense and Colton would see it in rehearsals anyway.  As their bodies moved together Phillip wasn’t sure how long they had, but he would make it long enough to get everything he wanted out of this amazing boy in his arms. He promised himself this would not be the last time he had Colton Dixon underneath him.

~*~

Phillip narrowly avoided Joshua. He’d accidently fallen asleep sprawled across Colton’s bed with Colton curled up against him. Phillip was a heavy sleeper so it was Colton that had saved them from the embarrassment of being caught in a naked tangle. Colton had thrown the large comforter over both of them as Joshua attempted to get into his room.

“Colton, the door is locked. You awake?” Joshua’s voice was muffled through the door.

Colton’s response was a very staged “Mrph…yeah…now I am.”

“I have a horrible headache Josh.” Colton lied through his teeth and it made Phillip smile buried under the blankets.

“Okay bud, sorry. I don’t need the light just gotta grab my toothbrush.”

Joshua grabbed is toiletries and left to find an available bathroom. With four girls in the house it wasn’t the easiest task.

“The coast is clear.” Colton pulled the blankets off of Phillip and admired his sleepy body.

“Perv.” Phillip waggled his eyebrows at Colton using the phrase that Colton had reserved for him.

“Shut up and go… I wish you were my roommate.” Colton buried his face in Phillip’s chest, breathing in everything about him and then pushed him out of the bed.

Phillip found his pajama pants under Colton’s underwear on the floor. He pulled them on and gave Colton a last lingering look before winking and slipping as quietly as possible out the door. He was about to congratulate himself on his stealthy exit as he walked into his room, but Elise was in HIS room, on HIS bed and he knew that she knew.

“You left your book downstairs.” She tossed his copy of Mockingbird on the bed and went to stand.

“Wait.” Phillip wasn’t sure what he was going to say, but he had to say something. She knew.

“It’s okay Phil. You know that kind of stuff doesn’t matter to me.” Elise cornered him near the door and pulled his stiff, worried body into a tight hug.

“I’m just worried about you Phil. How attached you get to people. People you’re not being romantic with. How are you going to take it?”

Elise didn’t have to tell him what she was talking about. He knew. He and Elise had always had this kind of relationship. Ever since he walked off stage in Vegas and she was standing there.

All she said was “yeah, better” and he nodded and then they’d clicked as friends.

He wasn’t sure how he’d intended to hide Colton from her. She always knew. Especially with him. It was funny because she’d told him once she had a hard time reading Colton. She thought he was a little fake. But now Phillip knew the truth about Colton, he was just scared of himself.

Phillip also knew there was a truth to what Elise was asking him.

What would he do if Colton got sent home? What would he do when Colton got eliminated? He knew exactly what he would do if it was himself going home. He had plenty of time to think about that scenario. But Elise was right he needed to think about the scenario in which Colton got sent home before him.

His stomach churned and his whole body tensed. He realized he was holding onto Elise to tightly but he didn’t let go. She was squeezing him back and it felt good. When she finally pulled away she gave him a sweet smile and a pat on the shoulder as she slipped out of the room.

Phillip collapsed in his bed. He could still smell Colton all over him and there was no way he was showering until tomorrow. He let his eyes drift closed and his brain shut down.

He had a few weeks before he needed to worry about Colton going home and he knew that his skinny legs would love his Usher. He was happy, maybe for the first time since he’d lost his roommate. He’d think about everything else later. 

~*~

Phillip wanted to walk over and hand Colton a handful of poisonous berries. He wanted to give the producers the big fuck you and quit. He wanted to growl and spit and scream **-**  wanted to rage against the injustice and somehow change the results.

He knew he looked shocked. He knew that the camera was pointed right at him, waiting, to suck out his soul. Waiting to exploit any emotion he had to give. He knew the camera was on him and he didn’t give a shit. This wasn’t right, not now, not Colton. He wanted people to see his reaction; he wanted everyone to know that this wasn’t right. He could barely feel Elise’s hand on his shoulder.

It was all so surreal. He’d been standing at center stage with Colton just a few minutes ago. His ears had tried to hear him speak when Ryan gave him the microphone but his words were drowned out by the sound of blood rushing in his ears. Bits and pieces of Colton’s speechhad filtered through but then he had to look away from the boy when they began to show his idol journey. When he looked up at the screen he was disgusted to see the reaction box with Colton’s face in it. The boy was doing his best to not give them what they wanted. It made Phillip’s blood boil again. He wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to keep it together; his resolve was starting to crumble. The more Phillip thought of reasons why he couldn’t explode; contracts, money, sponsorships, the more he wanted to have a comprehensive meltdown.

Then Colton dropped to his knees and Phillip’s blood ran cold. Ice flowed through his veins, he knew what was coming. This was the calm before the storm. Colton was in shock and dealing with this in the moment. But Phillip knew it wouldn’t last, he knew that Colton would need him and if he had a meltdown he would be the most selfish bastard on reality television and that was saying something.

Phillip let his head hang into his hands. He took a deep breath and let his anger go. He let Colton’s praise wash over him and rinse him of his malice. When the tears came he wasn’t surprised, the anger had been the only thing holding them back. He wiped them away quickly and let go of his sadness too. He didn’t have a choice, Colton needed him. Maybe not yet, but he would. He gathered his composure and looked up just in time to see Colton finish his swan song. He loved that boys smile, unabashed and full of happiness. He could feel Elise still holding on to him and it helped. He let himself absorb some of her strength and gave her a small smile. She smiled back and squeezed his shoulder. He was sure that he’d never experienced so many emotions in such a short period of time, but he’d also never felt like more of a man. He had a purpose and he had Colton and even if he didn’t win this thing he was sure going to try.

The judges were up and everyone was hugging - that part always felt forced to him. But this time he didn’t run away. He couldn’t

~*~

Phillip watched the black SUV pull up outside the Idol mansion. Colton’s last night to pack and say goodbye. He stayed in the background while his friend talked to everyone, assuring them that he was fine and that everything would be okay for him. He kept glancing over at Phillip and Phillip smiled every time. He couldn’t let Colton feel like he was breaking down. He could tell, however, from the little glances that Colton was worried about him. He was sure that everyone but Elise thought he was on the edge. It was amusing how much space everyone had given him when they had arrived at the mansion earlier that evening. He’d used that time to steal the shirt Colton had been wearing the previous day and stuff it into the back of his suitcase, although he wasn’t sure if he was going to get away with it - it was one of Colton’s favorites.

Phillip gave Elise a grateful smile when she offered to make virgin margaritas for everyone. Colton said he’d be back down for the celebration he just needed to pack. Phillip followed him, he’d let Colton disappear up these stairs once and he’d regretted it. By the time Colton hit the landing Phillip was there with a hand on Colton’s back. For how calm Colton had appeared all night Phillip wasn’t surprised to find him shaking. He was trembling from head to toe and there was a timer ticking down behind those dark eyes. Phillip led Colton into his room knowing the packing would be too much for Colton at the moment. Once the door was closed Colton’s hand’s locked around Phillip’s biceps in an iron embrace. Colton’s body was a concrete mass against him, he wasn’t shaking anymore but this felt worse. Phillip flexed and Colton loosened his grip enough that Phillip could wrap his arms around the skinny boy.

Phillip dotted Colton’s cheek and jaw with tiny kisses and waited. Colton let out a shaky breath and then wilted against Phillip’s chest.

“Phil…” His name sounded like heartbreak. It was wretched and raw like it had been ripped out of Colton’s mouth. He could feel the warm tears start to soak into his tee-shirt and squeezed Colton’s body tighter against him - not sure if he’d be able to let go.

Colton had a few hours with his family after the show but he’d waited for Phillip - for this. He’d held it all in, held it back and he’d waited. He’d convinced everyone that this sorrow wasn’t there inside him. He pretended he was immune to disappointment and that having his dream crushed was just a part of the bigger plan. Phillip believed that it was but he wasn’t sure if Colton hadn’t been trying to convince himself as well. Phillip believed that Colton, more than anyone else, really wanted to be the next American Idol; for all the same reasons that they all wanted to be, but also to reach and connect. He wanted people to hear and receive his message.

He’d had everyone convinced that he was fine except Phillip. Phillip knew the moment Colton started to sing that swan song that he was giving everything. He would never let the world see him break and Colton wasn’t the type of boy to put that burden on his family. This Colton had been set aside for Phillip and Phillip was happy to be the person that Colton turned to.

“Shh. Take a breath blondie. You’re gonna be just fine.” Phillip leaned back and used both hands to wipe off Colton’s face. He pulled Colton over to the bed and stripped him down to his underwear.

“Phil I have to pack.” Colton’s voice was small and broken and Phillip ignored him. Instead he tucked Colton into the bed and slide in beside him.

“I’ll give ya a hand later. Get it done twice as fast.” Phillip tucked his arms tightly around Colton. He wasn’t going anywhere tonight.

“You’ll call me right?” Colton avoided Phillip’s eyes and it made Phillip’s heart ache. Poor kid, he thought he was losing everything.

“You’re gonna be all over the country. You don’t need some clingy guy callin’ ya.” Phillip tried to sound nonchalant. He couldn’t help but smile when he got the fiery reaction he was looking for.

“You better call me.”

When Colton saw Phillip’s smile they both laughed. It felt good, genuine. They were both okay, despite everything. They’d won this game already if they could both lay there and crack jokes.

Phillip inhaled Colton’s laughter. It spread out from his lungs into his muscles. Colton stared into his eyes and he stared back. Phillip took time that night while Colton was sleeping to memorize his presence, he’d need those memories to survive the rest of this competition. Yet, he had a feeling that they would both be okay.

 

~*~

Hope you enjoyed it! Please leave some feedback either way and I will love you.


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